“Every speck of dust has a wonderful soul. The simplest things give me ideas. But a person should preserve enough honesty and purity to be moved.” Juan Miro
Milena, we’ve been planning the May exhibition at “Balkan” for a long time. Unfortunately, all our plans are currently on hold, and we are waiting for the right moment to resume our collaboration. In the meantime, can we briefly announce what we can expect from your highly anticipated solo exhibition?
I was excited and remain excited about the planned exhibition at “Balkan,” although, as I write this, it’s hard to ignore the moment we’re all in. I think we can especially see clearly today how the strongest connection we’ll ever have is the one with ourselves, and that this connection sets the standards for everything else.
Most importantly, when I reflect on the ideas and themes that have been occupying me for some time, it seems to me that Cosmic Rhythms stands firmly and fully resonates with the new time that we will hopefully enter, better and purer in every way. The adjective “cosmic” expresses a somewhat undefined characteristic of mystery: a mystery that relates to something beyond the human, something that surrounds and defines us.
Today, the cosmos is space. A rocket has been launched into space…
Your artistic expression evolves and explores processes that take place both in the spaces around us and within ourselves; that primal connection you observe occurs in rhythms. How important is the process to you personally, and how does it impact you?
At the core of my artistic research are the deepest and most sensitive emotional-intellectual processes, which I transpose and visualize into reduced signs and symbols, laden with meaning. It seems I have never truly abandoned my graphic handwriting. Even when I look at the large earthen paintings, they resemble layered graphic plates that could never have been that large.
Throughout the long history of art, artists from different generations, regions, and with different poetics have thought and continue to think about nature and its, sometimes only apparent, discrepancies, which ultimately, in the broader view, always find themselves in harmony. For me, the connection with nature is as important as the connection with myself, and for a better personal understanding, it is essential to respect the rhythms of nature, of which we are a part.
Your works are organic and develop through a dialogue between the natural and the spontaneous in their processes. What is truly at the core of your dedicated research?
I insist on movement as the essence of all living things, which means that if the pulse can be felt in the work even after it is completed, I have achieved my goal.
The alignment of rhythms and energies, respecting the natural processes of materials, patience, and openness to constant surprises lead to the artistic result. To a large extent, I have replaced traditional painting materials with natural ones, which contributes to the impossibility of completely controlling the process or repeating situations. Once you accept that, a powerful force pulls you forward, opening the space for breakthroughs that bring the joy of creation. New forms cannot emerge without a new struggle, and I am intensely engaged in that struggle these days. By the time the “Balkan” exhibition is ready, I am sure new themes or questions will have arisen.
Nothing is final, and that’s how it is now.